MEPs urge tougher China policy ahead of Šefčovič visit
Lawmakers want the EU to address security and human rights alongside trade as its trade commissioner prepares to meet China’s commerce minister.
Members of the European Parliament are pressing for a broader response to China, arguing that trade measures alone cannot address their concerns about European security. Parliament is due to vote on a report on EU-China relations on 7 October 2026, ahead of Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič’s visit to Beijing.
The Committee on Foreign Affairs report portrays China as both an economic and geopolitical adversary. Its author, Hilde Vautmans, said she wanted Parliament to give Šefčovič a strong mandate before his meeting with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. She argued that the EU should make greater use of its economic power.
In a joint letter, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron advocated giving the European Commission greater authority to limit or halt imports from countries responsible for severe, systematic distortions in the EU. Some MEPs welcomed their approach as evidence of greater unity.
Lawmakers also urged the Commission to confront human rights abuses, tensions in the Taiwan Strait and China’s support for Russia’s economy during the war in Ukraine. Spanish MEP Nicolás Pascual de la Parte said human rights had slipped off the agenda. Vautmans said the debate showed growing support for a more coherent policy that combines dialogue with a greater willingness to defend EU interests.
